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God, Give Me Strength: When You Don’t Feel Capable of What He’s Asking · The Divine Worth Podcast

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  SPEAKER_00: Do you often feel like, I just don't know if I can do that?
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  SPEAKER_00: And you start doubting your ability to be able to do the things that you want to do
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  SPEAKER_00: or do the things that the Lord is asking of you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Do you ever focus in on all those weaknesses that you have?
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  SPEAKER_00: And when you look at your strengths,
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  SPEAKER_00: you diminish them and you start to feel like They're really not that great of
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  SPEAKER_00: a strength.
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  SPEAKER_00: And if this is you, this episode is for you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Divine Worth Podcast,
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  SPEAKER_00: where we are letting go of our fears and self-doubt so that we can embrace
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  SPEAKER_00: who God sees in us.
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  SPEAKER_00: I am your host,
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  SPEAKER_00: Life Coach Karen Papin,
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  SPEAKER_00: and today I am talking about something completely different
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  SPEAKER_00: than what I had originally planned.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the reason why is I started reading my scriptures this morning.
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  SPEAKER_00: I've been really striving to check in with the Lord before I just take action.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so I was reading my scriptures this morning and I came across a scripture
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  SPEAKER_00: that I just felt impressed I needed to share.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so that scripture is in Alma chapter 26, verse...
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  SPEAKER_00: And here, in this chapter, Ammon is glorifying God.
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  SPEAKER_00: He is just very thankful for All the blessings that God has given him
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  SPEAKER_00: and given those Lamanites who are now the anti-Nephi-Lehi's because Ammon
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  SPEAKER_00: and his brothers went to them and taught them the gospel.
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  SPEAKER_00: And they had just this great success.
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  SPEAKER_00: And Ammon is talking about that great success.
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  SPEAKER_00: And his brother Aaron kind of rebukes him.
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  SPEAKER_00: And says that he's afraid that Ammon is getting carried away into boasting.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then Ammon talks about how he is not boasting in his own strength.
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  SPEAKER_00: And in verse 12, this is what he says, Yea, I know that I am nothing.
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  SPEAKER_00: As to my strength, I am weak.
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  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength.
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  SPEAKER_00: I can do all things.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yea, behold many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land,
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  SPEAKER_00: for which we will praise His name forever.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I just really got to thinking about that,
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  SPEAKER_00: because in the Scriptures,
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  SPEAKER_00: over and over and over again,
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  SPEAKER_00: we are told that the Lord makes weak things become strong.
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  SPEAKER_00: And here Ammon is talking about how He Himself is weak.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yet, all these amazing things have happened.
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  SPEAKER_00: And they had such great success.
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  SPEAKER_00: But it was because of the Lord and their willingness to be able to listen to the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: I think sometimes we see our weaknesses or even our strengths and we downplay them.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we start to think that we are not capable of We start to think
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  SPEAKER_00: that someone else would do better than what we are called for.
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  SPEAKER_00: We start to feel like that we're not capable,
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  SPEAKER_00: and yet it is when we are weak that the Lord is able to make us strong.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I have seen that even in those Really hard and difficult moments in my life
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  SPEAKER_00: where I just did not know if I had the strength to go on.
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  SPEAKER_00: In the midst of my grief,
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  SPEAKER_00: I wondered how I could even get out of bed to do those things that
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  SPEAKER_00: the Lord was asking me to do.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yet, the Lord makes strong One such example.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I'm going to give you just a few examples,
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  SPEAKER_00: and then I want to share with you some more scriptures about how
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  SPEAKER_00: the Lord is teaching us this concept that He makes weak things become strong.
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  SPEAKER_00: I was reminded of...
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  SPEAKER_00: My own personal story of how I really have struggled to speak throughout my life.
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  SPEAKER_00: And at times I just could not get the words out.
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  SPEAKER_00: It would be like they'd get caught in my throat and then I'd start ruminating in my head.
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  SPEAKER_00: I just don't know what to say.
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  SPEAKER_00: I just don't know what to say.
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  SPEAKER_00: I just don't know what to say and get stuck there.
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  SPEAKER_00: Or I'd start thinking like giving a talk.
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  SPEAKER_00: I used to give talks where I would read it word for word.
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  SPEAKER_00: So I would have the words there, but I still couldn't get the words out.
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  SPEAKER_00: Just thinking, I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this, right?
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  SPEAKER_00: And it was an amazing lesson for me to learn that if I just trusted in the Lord
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  SPEAKER_00: and believed in Him,
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  SPEAKER_00: that He would help me to be able to overcome my struggle to be able
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  SPEAKER_00: to get those words out.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I remember the first talk I gave when I truly understood that
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  SPEAKER_00: the Lord would help me And I got up there and I said this little prayer.
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  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, Heavenly Father, please help me to be able to get the words out.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as soon as I opened my mouth, peace came over me and I was able to speak.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then the next time I was asked to speak, the exact same thing happened.
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  SPEAKER_00: And it happened over and over and over and over again.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I have come to see that my weakness, that anxiety that I have about speaking...
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  SPEAKER_00: Now, here's another example of where He makes our weaknesses become strong.
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  SPEAKER_00: And it was pretty soon, maybe a couple months after my youngest was born.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I was...
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  SPEAKER_00: And I had a cold.
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  SPEAKER_00: My youngest had a cold as well.
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  SPEAKER_00: We were both sick.
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  SPEAKER_00: And it was the beginning of the day.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I remember just laying down on the floor and just saying a prayer.
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  SPEAKER_00: Heavenly Father, I do not know how I am going to make it through this day.
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  SPEAKER_00: I just am really not feeling well.
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  SPEAKER_00: I need help.
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  SPEAKER_00: And yet I wasn't going to ask for help from anyone other than Heavenly Father
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  SPEAKER_00: because I don't want to get anyone sick.
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  SPEAKER_00: But if someone voluntarily provided help in some way or another, I would take it.
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  SPEAKER_00: Well, no help came.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I remember it being the end of the day.
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  SPEAKER_00: And saying a prayer and just starting with that gratitude,
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  SPEAKER_00: thanking Him for different things throughout the day for my family.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then I said, thank you for helping me to make it through this day.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I realized what first I realized that, wow,
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  SPEAKER_00: He really did help me to be able to have the strength that I needed throughout
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  SPEAKER_00: the day.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then the second thing, very clearly, what I heard was, I knew you could do it.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the reason why I share that story is because the Lord,
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  SPEAKER_00: first is that the Lord is carrying us through it,
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  SPEAKER_00: but also because He does believe in us.
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  SPEAKER_00: And He believes us capable of overcoming and getting through the hard
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  SPEAKER_00: and difficult things that we go through in our lives.
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  SPEAKER_00: I often say that I believe in myself because God first believed in me.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the same is true for you, that God believes in you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as you
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  SPEAKER_00: Gain a greater relationship with Him as you come closer to Him,
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  SPEAKER_00: as you see the love that He has for you,
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  SPEAKER_00: you will start to see that He believes in you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the reason why He is asking anything of you is because He believes you capable
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  SPEAKER_00: of doing those things.
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  SPEAKER_00: So with that, I want to share with you a few scriptures.
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  SPEAKER_00: So let's start with verse 26.
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  SPEAKER_00: For ye see your calling,
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  SPEAKER_00: brethren,
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  SPEAKER_00: how that not many wise men after the flesh,
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  SPEAKER_00: not many mighty,
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  SPEAKER_00: not many noble are called,
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  SPEAKER_00: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.
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  SPEAKER_00: And God hath chosen the weak things of the world,
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we get stuck in this idea that we need to do everything perfectly,
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  SPEAKER_00: that we need to know everything before we take action or have all of our ducks in
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  SPEAKER_00: a row, whatever that phrase is, before we actually take a step for it.
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  SPEAKER_00: And the truth is that it's in our weakness that the Lord wants us to take those steps forward.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's actually in those times that we are humble and willing to trust in Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: I just did the Divine War Summit.
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  SPEAKER_00: Like I know for me,
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  SPEAKER_00: sometimes I just want to learn all the things,
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  SPEAKER_00: take all the courses so that I can then take action and just be super successful
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  SPEAKER_00: in whatever it is I am doing.
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  SPEAKER_00: And what I have found when it comes to my coaching business,
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  SPEAKER_00: when it comes to my summit and my podcast,
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  SPEAKER_00: when it comes to even just seeking to accomplish my goals,
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  SPEAKER_00: whether it be I have found that I could do all of the things and research all
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  SPEAKER_00: the things and follow all of the experts,
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  SPEAKER_00: and yet the Lord actually knows what is best and what's going to help me to do
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  SPEAKER_00: the things that I am trying to do.
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  SPEAKER_00: God is all-knowing and He has a much greater vision.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes that means letting go of something that I really wanted to do or hold on
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  SPEAKER_00: to, or that means doing something that absolutely scares me.
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  SPEAKER_00: But the Lord has a much greater vision.
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  SPEAKER_00: If I can let go of some of those things and realign myself with Him,
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  SPEAKER_00: He reveals to me the things that I need to know.
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  SPEAKER_00: Psalm 119, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so as we seek His guidance first, He lights the way.
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  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes it's just a small little step forward,
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  SPEAKER_00: just a glimmer of what we need to do to be able to move forward,
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  SPEAKER_00: which can be both a struggle and a blessing.
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  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's a struggle because you want to know And sometimes it's a blessing
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  SPEAKER_00: because if you knew that end picture, it would be overwhelming.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so He often just reveals the next step to us.
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  SPEAKER_00: Yet if we are turning to Him,
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  SPEAKER_00: He does give us that guidance and direction and helps us understand.
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  SPEAKER_00: To be able to know if we are on the right path or if we need to stop and check in
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  SPEAKER_00: with Him and humble ourselves to be able to receive His Word.
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  SPEAKER_00: Proverbs 3,
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  SPEAKER_00: verses 5-6,
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  SPEAKER_00: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, lean not unto thine own understanding.
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  SPEAKER_00: In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
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  SPEAKER_00: Love that scripture.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because it's reminding us to not be leaning into our own understanding,
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  SPEAKER_00: to not just be following after the latest trends,
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  SPEAKER_00: to not be seeking first all of the experts and the things that they have to say,
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  SPEAKER_00: but to first check in with the Lord.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then if He leads you to one of those experts, then listen, right?
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  SPEAKER_00: However, the Lord comes first and His guidance comes first.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as we do that,
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  SPEAKER_00: continually acknowledging and seeking to see Him in our lives, He directs us.
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  SPEAKER_00: I find it interesting that sometimes we do get caught up with this idea
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  SPEAKER_00: of doing everything exactly right,
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  SPEAKER_00: of being flawless, and just really wanting to do things perfectly.
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  SPEAKER_00: And in those moments where we are trying to do it all ourselves
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  SPEAKER_00: and be absolutely flawless and perfect,
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  SPEAKER_00: We are forgetting that that perfection actually comes through Christ.
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  SPEAKER_00: In Moroni 10,
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  SPEAKER_00: verse 32,
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  SPEAKER_00: he says, Yea,
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  SPEAKER_00: come unto Christ, and be perfected in Him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness.
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  SPEAKER_00: And if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness,
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  SPEAKER_00: and love God with all your might,
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  SPEAKER_00: mind, and strength, So for all of us who are wanting to be perfect, this is the key.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is the key.
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  SPEAKER_00: Not doing it all on our own, but turning to the Lord and allowing ourselves to
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  SPEAKER_00: To recognize when there is that ungodliness,
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  SPEAKER_00: when we are weak,
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  SPEAKER_00: when we are making mistakes,
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  SPEAKER_00: and then turning to the Lord so that His grace can make us perfect.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's not about shaming ourselves,
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  SPEAKER_00: but about being aware that, hey, there's something that we need to do.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then moving forward, this is something that the Lord actually tells Jeremiah.
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  SPEAKER_00: He says in Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 10, See,
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  SPEAKER_00: I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms to root out and
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  SPEAKER_00: to pull down and to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.
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  SPEAKER_00: And even though the Lord is talking about the kingdom of Israel and how Jeremiah is
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  SPEAKER_00: to prophesy and to help root out and to pull down and destroy the sins of Israel.
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  SPEAKER_00: This can be applied to us as well.
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  SPEAKER_00: We, through the Lord,
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  SPEAKER_00: we can root out and we can pull down and we can destroy the ungodliness that is
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  SPEAKER_00: within us, those weaknesses that That are pulling us down.
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  SPEAKER_00: That are keeping us from being able to let our light shine.
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  SPEAKER_00: But that can only happen if we are willing to recognize that with,
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  SPEAKER_00: not with shame,
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  SPEAKER_00: but with the hope that the Lord will help us to be able to overcome and to build and
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  SPEAKER_00: to plant and to rise again.
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  SPEAKER_00: And why is it so important that we do this?
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  SPEAKER_00: That we root out our fears?
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  SPEAKER_00: That we bring down those walls that are keeping us hidden?
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  SPEAKER_00: Why is it so important That we do that turning to the Lord so
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  SPEAKER_00: that He can make those weaknesses become strong.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's because there is a great work that the Lord has for us.
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  SPEAKER_00: And as we trust in Him,
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  SPEAKER_00: As we let go of our own understandings of those fears and limiting beliefs
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  SPEAKER_00: that are keeping us from being able to be the light in this world that
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  SPEAKER_00: the Lord wants us to be, we can then do the things that He is asking of us.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we can help strengthen and uplift others.
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  SPEAKER_00: And we can help them to become more
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  SPEAKER_00: In October 2008,
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  SPEAKER_00: General Conference,
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  SPEAKER_00: President Dieter F.
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  SPEAKER_00: Uchtdorf said this, quote,
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  SPEAKER_00: You may feel that there are others who are more capable or more experienced
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  SPEAKER_00: who could fulfill your callings and assignments better than you can.
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  SPEAKER_00: End quote.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Lord is calling you.
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  SPEAKER_00: He wants you to be a light.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that can be in your daily interactions with others.
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  SPEAKER_00: That can be raising your kids.
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  SPEAKER_00: That can be in interacting with those at school, drop off and pick up.
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  SPEAKER_00: It could be serving within your callings.
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  SPEAKER_00: It could be ministering.
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  SPEAKER_00: It could be serving within the community.
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  SPEAKER_00: It could be seeing someone who needs help at the grocery store.
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  SPEAKER_00: There's all these different ways that the Lord might have in store for you.
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  SPEAKER_00: To be the light that He wants you to be.
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  SPEAKER_00: Trust in Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: Trust in Him.
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  SPEAKER_00: He knows you.
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  SPEAKER_00: He loves you.
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  SPEAKER_00: He believes in you.
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  SPEAKER_00: So if you are feeling weak, know this.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Lord makes weak things become strong.
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  SPEAKER_00: Doctrine and Covenants section 119.
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  SPEAKER_00: The weak things of the world shall come forth.
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  SPEAKER_00: Verse 23, that the fullness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and simple.
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  SPEAKER_00: If they humble themselves before me and have faith in me,
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  SPEAKER_00: then will I make weak things become strong unto him.
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  SPEAKER_00: 2 Corinthians 12, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
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  SPEAKER_00: It's in those weaknesses.
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  SPEAKER_00: And with that,
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  SPEAKER_00: if you want to see this list of scriptures that I have that talks
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  SPEAKER_00: about weak things being made strong,
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  SPEAKER_00: Then be sure to sign up for my Substack where I have a PDF that has these scriptures
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  SPEAKER_00: that are for when the Lord calls us in our weaknesses.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I hope that you recognize and understand that He...
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  SPEAKER_00: Loves you and that He does truly believe in you.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then for paid subscribers, you can go even deeper.
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  SPEAKER_00: I have four different ways that you can take action and apply the things
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  SPEAKER_00: that we've been talking about today.
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  SPEAKER_00: Because many of us learn differently, right?
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  SPEAKER_00: We're all different.
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  SPEAKER_00: And so one of those ways is a journaling page.
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  SPEAKER_00: So you can write out what it is that you're going through.
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  SPEAKER_00: And that can be great in processing those weak feelings that you are experiencing.
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  SPEAKER_00: And The second is a checklist for those of you who like to just have
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  SPEAKER_00: the things there and be able to check them off as you go.
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  SPEAKER_00: The third thing is for those who really just want...
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  SPEAKER_00: One small and simple thing to do to take action,
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  SPEAKER_00: there's a little assessment that shows you where you're at and the next right step
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  SPEAKER_00: for you to take.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then the fourth thing is for those who learn through conversation,
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  SPEAKER_00: who are more social, or even those introverts who just love
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  SPEAKER_00: And
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  SPEAKER_00: so you can just choose one of those things,
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  SPEAKER_00: or you can do them all however deep you really want to go into the subject.
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  SPEAKER_00: And those are for my paid subscribers on Substack, so be sure to check that out.
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  SPEAKER_00: And I will see you next week on the Divine Worth Podcast.